Good Morning Again All,

Another question / issue has cropped up with my now three day old little baby. I have noted that when I insert the key into the ignition lock and turn it , it won't turn unless I jiggle the steering when back and forth, then the lock releases and all is fine.

If I shut the engine off but leave the key in the lock I can turn it freely with no problem. However if I remove the key (which allows the rod to move into place to lock the steering wheel), then re-insert the key it will not turn freely unless I jiggle the steering wheel back and forth again which appears to free up the part that is holding up the free motion.

Is this common problem with this series car? Any suggestions on possibly lubricating things to make it operate freely, or is this a major project to remedy?

With my 1985 Mercedes-Benz r107 roadster the ignition locks are notorious, and servicing them is a nightmare from what I have read and been told.......

What say the resident geniuses?????

Thanks,
-George-

 

https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum/...key-fix_v2.pdf

 

Hey many thanks! I printed it out and I think I'll leave this little excursion to the dealership!

Is this a common issue with Crossfires??????

-George-

 

Yes, very common.

 

Hmmm. Some years back an Audi A8L I had displayed the same issue. Had the Audi dealer take care of it.

 

The dealership will probably tell you to replace the lock assembly at a cost of several hundred dollars. Take the car to a local shop you trust, with instructions in hand, and it will cost you 1 to 2 hours' labor charge. Problem solved.

 

I would follow the instructions and do it yourself, I did this myself and I know nothing about this sort of thing. So if I can do it, I am sure you can but like other person mentioned if you really don't want to try doing yourself then have a decent local garage do it. Main dealer will charge a fortune and will just end up replacing the whole lock assembly.

And yes this is a VERY common issue on crossfires!

 

Hmmm. Sounds like it is common. I take it the problem is that the lock pin gets sticky and needs to be lubricated?
-George-

 

Yes it is very common, mine is perfect now that I have removed the pin. The pin can cause a lot of problems, best thing I ever did was removing it

 

I believe the problem goes beyond the lack of lubrication, get rid of the pin and worry no more.

 

My Question is how do u get rid of the PIN. Yesterday for about 4 hours i tried to drill in the pin with a 1/4" drill bit and i cannot get through it.I dismantle the bottom paNeL. I cannot get to position 1 like the PDF instructions said. Its all over the site on how u can do it yourself its called sticky fix easy i believe or something like that. I a m stuck on this part and its very frustrating. Good thing it happen in my house !

IF ANYONE IS IN LOS ANGELES CA that can fix it . Im willing to pay
I CANNOT TAKE IT TO THE DEALER OR TO ANY SHOP IT WONT START
Mechanics are trying to charge me and arm and a leg to come to my house !
PLEASE ANYONE HELP!!!

 

Just to be completely certain: the pin everyone is talking about is the one that moves out and locks the steering wheel, correct? When you turn the ignition to the on position this pin will retract, thereby freeing up the steering column to turn.
-George-

 

NO! We are discussing a small pin (about 1/8 inch diameter if I remember right) that sticks outta the mechanism and thru the tube in the side of the steering column.
It is spoken about and a picture of it appears at the back end of the PDF tutorial.

 

OK, then I am totally confused. Precisely WHAT is preventing the ignition switch from turning and unlocking the steering wheel? The pdf on Sticky Ignition Key Fix gives great instructions on how to get the ignition lock assembly out of the car and get it back, however I'm not seeing what should actually be done to FIX the assembly so that it will not get sticky again. Is it necessary to replace the entire assembly or can the existing assembly be repaired so it doesn't freeze up again?

And, precisely WHAT part is freezing up and preventing the lock assembly from turning?

Many thanks,
-George-

 

Better read the tutorial again. The part where you break open the little trap door and remove the spring and little item - then put the trap door back on - THAT is the fix. IT is said that it is part of a "redundant" lock in the assembly. The plunger still sticks out and locks the wheel, it just doesn't get stuck any more.

All I can tell you, is that once I did the mod - no more stuck key! That was 50,300 miles ago!


Click the link in the FIRST post here: https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...n-key-fix.html
Read it all, but the fix is in the chapter "Re-Using Old Assembly". The spring and little part you take out and throw away is the problem you are fixing.
Trust us - the guys who wrote that tutorial knew what they were talking about - but I admit I don't understand the operation of the assembly. I DO know that the fix works and if you pay the $300 or what ever it is for a new assembly - the problem will eventually happen again. We had a poster here a few years ago who confirmed that.

I have NEVER heard of someone having it happen again after removal of the two "bad" items. And like I said, I've put 50,000 miles on my car since fixing it - never a problem.

 

Ahh! OK Now I understand. There is actually two "pins" in the entire procedure, the one which may need to be drilled out to get the assembly outo f the car, and then the 2nd one which is spring loaded behind the trap door which is actually the evil little culprit!

OK, now I get it!

Thanks,
-George-

 

I know, the whole drama is confusing at best.

But trust me (those of you reading this with "perfect" locks) - fix it TODAY before you end up in hell !

 

bingo !

 

B-64 ! ! ! ! ! !

 

Ok you guys thanks for all the Help! But now i have another problem !
The car wont start!

I was finally able to take of the pin , well more like grinding it with a dremel tool until it was even then took it off.
I follow the instruction and i got the ignition switch to Switch! lol
I put it all back to order
before i put all the screws back on i tried turning out the car.
And now it doesn't turn on all!
they ignition switch is fix but its not even cranking the engine at all .
all the lights on the dash board come on and the alarm works
But the car doesn't make a sound when i try to turn it on!
and yes i put all the cables back together , triple checked it
plus if i was missing one the switch wouldnt work right?

i was searching and i found out that it might be this : attached -------------> https://www.crossfireforum.org/forum...-no-start.html

but does this cause after fixing the ignition switch
is it a common issue
or was it my luck that it happen at the same time

PLEASE HELP!